When items, such as food, are packaged within boxes which have relatively large covers, the central portion of the cover can bend, flex or sag down onto the food item, thereby damaging it. This is especially true when the boxes are stacked for storage or delivery.
Several devices have been utilized to help prevent the sagging of the covers. Such devices are placed centrally on the food product to support the cover during storage and delivery. The device is usually a unitary structure and in its preferred form has spaced vertical legs which are connected to a cover support.
Other devices include combination serving utensils and pizza container supports. Such devices have a server portion appropriate to serve a slice of pizza and an upstanding portion which has a vertical dimension, which, when the server portion is placed between the pizza and the base of the container, approximates the height of the pizza container. These devices also contain a handle portion which has a fiat upper surface and is attached to the upper end of the upstanding portion. The handle extends parallel to, but offset from, the server portion. However, these devices need to be placed beneath the food item and protrude through the center portion of the food product. This tends to disfigure the food product and also contaminate the utensil with portions of the food product.
A need still exists for a serving utensil which can serve dual purposes. The utensil needs to protect the food during storage or delivery while subsequently assist in serving the food.